Eric the Red Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 Huskers hoping for two Calif. junior college players to fill out ’08 recruiting class Duane Rossiter, Huskers Illustrated 08/15/2007 Updated 08/16/2007 01:06:02 PM CDT Email to a friendPrinter-friendly The Nebraska coaching staff has just about filled all the slots in the 2008 recruiting class, but as of now, two junior college players from El Camino College would not be shut out. Advertisement Simi Kuli and Justin Thompson are sorely needed for the future and are among the elite junior college players in the nation. Although Rivals.com has not ranked junior college players yet, they are considered to be locks for high ratings. El Camino College has just started its fall practice, but defensive line coach Tim Hyde gave HuskersIllustrated.com an exclusive interview: Q — How do Kuli and Thompson interact with the coaches and their teammates? A — “Simi was already voted team captain by the players. Simi is a fun-loving, very outgoing, and he likes to talk a lot. He has a lot of fun with his teammates. He is very close to everyone. All of Justin’s best friends are on the offense. Justin will get along with anyone. They are both team spirits on the team. Simi was the No. 1 vote-getter for captain this year. … Everybody loves being around these two guys.” Q — How does Kuli compare with other players you have coached? A — “I had Oregon State’s sack leader, Dorian Smith. He had 10 sacks last year. He was a first-team All-America in 2005 for JCs, and he signed with Oregon State. He is a lot like Simi Kuli in just the athleticism, but Simi is bigger and more physical than that guy. … Dorian was a lot more of a speed rusher off of the edge. Simi is very aggressive. “Another thing, the kid is still learning. He just played high school football in 2004, and in 2005 all he did was work in construction. All of a sudden, he shows up in 2006 wanting to play football. Last year, he led the team in tackles for losses. He was No. 1 for tackles for losses, and No. 5 in total tackles, and No. 2 quarterback hurries, and tied for first in sacks, and that is all after taking off of football for a year and a half.” “For (head) coach (John) Featherstone, he compares Simi Kuli to our last year D-end that went pro. That is Ryan Riddle. He went to El Camino and Cal-Berkeley. I think he led the Pac-10 in sacks his senior year.” Q — How about Justin Thompson? A — “I never coached anyone as big and dominant as him. I would compare Justin to Jesse Mahelona, who played at Orange Coast and went to Tennessee. He is in the pros now.” Q — What are some other strong points on Kuli? A — “It is his athleticism. … He just doesn’t get tired. He is relentless. It is his practice habits. He is the most improved defensive lineman from last year. He practices hard every day, and I’m serious. He is the hardest-working football player on this team.” Q — What are the strong points on Thompson? A — “It is his strength. He is 6-5 and 290 pounds. … Once he gets going 100 miles an hour, he is an extremely talented individual.” Q — What does Simi need to work on? A — “He is still learning. He only played two years in high school and he takes a year off. He just needs to keep improving.” Q — What about Thompson? What does he have to work on? A — “Oh, wow! Once he gets to working … I would just say the same thing as Simi. Both kids are extremely talented. Both kids need to work on their game. They are so young and have a ton of energy. It is just keep working on those small things to be great and keep realizing that every play is a chance to make a play and to be difference makers” Q — For Simi Kuli: Was there a play or plays that come to mind immediately where he really stood out over the others on the team? A — “He had five solo tackles on kickoff coverage at the end of the season because he started playing kickoff team. Here he was playing at 260 pounds and making solo tackles in two of our biggest games … in kickoff coverage. I could talk about his sacks, his tackles for losses, but that right there shows you his athleticism to be able to rundown 60 yards and make a solo tackle. … “The best thing about Simi is that he got better every week. He got better over a 14-week season in every single game. He played his best football in the playoffs. That is a testament to him and taking our coaching and constantly listening and being a student of the game.” Q — How about Justin Thompson? A — “To show you how good he was; Justin was the only freshman that was All-Mission Conference. That is a huge honor there as a freshman. He was always getting double-teamed and he got every single vote when it came up for all-conference. He was twice Mission Player of the Week. He was nominated four times for player of the week. “Justin is a space eater. He is the prototypical tackle. He is the prototypical nose tackle or inside football player. He is 6-4 1/2 or 6-5 and he weighed in at an even 290 pounds this week when we weighed our guys in. He gets great push and takes on double teams and plays extremely hard. When he has to pass rush, he pass rushes. “ Coach Hyde told us that Simi Kuli pretty much has his short list settled at Texas A&M and the University of Nebraska, with the Huskers having the inside track for him. Kuli will be visiting Texas A&M for its game against Oklahoma State on Oct. 6 and then he will be off to see the Huskers for their game against the same A&M on Oct. 20. After his visit to Nebraska, he will likely make up his mind between those two — Texas A&M and Nebraska. Thompson will be visiting LSU for its night game against Florida. He is planning on visiting either Nebraska or Ohio State on Oct. 20. ©Kearney Hub 2007 Quote Link to comment
Silent Commit Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 It would be SOoooooooooo Sweet to get both Kuli and Thompson 'N'!!!!!! It seems like forever to wait until late October for Kuli's choice of school! Quote Link to comment
Necava Husker Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Great gets—either one. Interesting that Simi Kuli took a year off and worked construction. Hope he becomes a Blackshirt focused on wrecking. Quote Link to comment
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